PST's 1.03 Torsion Bars are back in stock

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Educate me on the shock dictating the ride harshness. I have heard this stiff bar+'good' shock combo Is not harsh but I'm not following how the shock us going to mellow out a stiff torsion bar/spring. What's the difference between a kyb and a bilstein? I have never owned a bilstein, always whatever was under there when I bought it or recently KYB but have not driven it yet.

PST did a good job of explaining it, I'll see if I can add anything. The purpose of a shock is to dampen the rebound of the spring. Without a shock, a spring would react in what looks like a sine wave, compress-extend-compress-extend etc, with the amplitude slowly decreasing. The bouncy/floating feeling you get when your shocks are toast- you hit a bump, and ride the wave for awhile afterward. So, that would be underdamped, and the "softer" your shocks are the more underdamped the suspension typically is. Overdamped means that the shock is actually keeping the suspension from traveling it's full available distance, ie, you hit a bump, and before the suspension can fully absorb it the shock limits the suspension travel. That's what happens when a shock is too stiff. The "perfect" response is critically damped, meaning, the shock allows the suspension to fully absorb the impact and travel its full distance according to the size of the impact, but then controls the suspension oscillation so that it just immediately returns to its normal position.

Figure-5-Typical-effect-of-damping-ratio-on-suspension-system-performance.png


Obviously, if you change the spring rate the shocks dampening rate also has to change. With most shocks that's controlled with valving. You have a reservoir of fluid or gas, and the amount it resists change (the amount it dampens the impact) is controlled by the valves the fluid has to travel through when the shock is compressed or extended. A simple shock has no valving, so, it has a single dampening rate based on the fluid or gas pressure and the type of fluid or gas in the reservoir itself. Then it gets complicated. Better shocks have more valves, so their dampening rate actually changes depending on the speed of the impact/load. So, small bump=small dampening rate while big bump=big big dampening rate. So, they control the suspension better. The more valving, the wider the range of dampening.

KYB's are cheap(er) shocks with little valving. They have a small dampening range, and are set up stiff. That means the work better on larger bars than stock shocks, but with small loads, like driving on a typical street, their dampening is too stiff and the ride suffers because you're in the overdamped mode where the shocks are limiting what your suspension can do. Bilsteins have more valving, so, you can run larger bars and the shocks keep the around town ride more bearable, while still controlling the big hits. The Hotchkis shocks have more valving still, allowing them an even wider range of dampening, allowing them to adjust better to around town driving while still being able to handle really large wheel rates/torsion bars.

As I've mention quite a few times, I've run both Bilsteins and the Hotchkis Fox shocks on my Duster with 1.12" torsion bars. The Bilsteins were better than any other shock I've used with that large of a torsion bar, they do a good job. But the Hotchkis Fox shocks (mine are non-adjustable) do an even better job at the extremes. Meaning, they're a little softer around town with the small loads/impacts, but do an even better job of handling the big bars when things really get interesting. I think with a slightly smaller bar, like the 1.03's or Firm Feels 1.06's, the difference between the Bilsteins and the Hotchkis shocks would be less noticeable. But as the bars get larger, the Hotchkis shocks make more of a difference. As far as KYB's, I wouldn't run them on anything again.
 
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Ok, I'll roll with that. Those fox shocks, $1000 a corner or for a 4pc set?
 
Ok, I'll roll with that. Those fox shocks, $1000 a corner or for a 4pc set?

Not nearly that much. The non-adjustables are $530 from Summit, the adjustables are $746, that's for a set of 4. I have the non-adjustables on my Duster, although they were quite a bit cheaper a couple years ago.
 
We have available from Viking two lines: The Warrior line that 19 positions of adjustability or their latest the Crusader line with 22 positions. Both are made from light weight aluminum construction and include a precision machined piston with bronze piston wrap. But the main difference in the warrior and crusader besides the additional adjustability is the mounting. The warrior we offer in a poly mount and the crusader uses a bearing type mount. For an A body Mopar a set of 4 warriors is $679 where the Crusaders are $959. Both are eligible for the forum discount.


Personally I love the Viking's I had a set of there coil overs in the front and smooth bodies shock in the rear on my car now for 4 years and the adjustability is awesome. You can go from a stiff ride to a comfortable cruising ride in a matter of minute. They are very easy to adjust with just a couple clicks.

Here is a link for more info: Suspension - Shocks/Coil-over kits - Viking!

Thanks
James
 
Great info and explanation guys! That really does make it understandable even for simpletons like me!

I've been running PST 1.03s for a year now, and I still absolutely love them. They are a great product and really do provide tremendously upgraded handling without being too harsh.

I ended up using KYBs since my budget was limited, but overall they aren't bad. They are a bit rough on bad roads around town, but by no means are they overly harsh. I'd like to upgrade to Bilstiens at the very least, but that will have to wait a bit.
 
Great info and explanation guys! That really does make it understandable even for simpletons like me!

I've been running PST 1.03s for a year now, and I still absolutely love them. They are a great product and really do provide tremendously upgraded handling without being too harsh.

I ended up using KYBs since my budget was limited, but overall they aren't bad. They are a bit rough on bad roads around town, but by no means are they overly harsh. I'd like to upgrade to Bilstiens at the very least, but that will have to wait a bit.

You will LOVE the Bilsteins if/when you get them. I ran KYB's on my Challenger for a long time with 1.12" torsion bars. I thought the ride was a little stiff, but not horrible. The difference when I installed the Bilsteins was incredible. Like, "is this my car?" incredible. That was the only change I made at that time, everything else was the same, it was all the shocks. The ride quality changed that much.

I haven't tried the Vikings, I'm sure they're great. I just compare the Bilsteins and the Hotchkis Fox's because I have both and have actually run both on the same car, with everything else being the same.
 
Increasing torsion bars and stepping up to quality shocks can bring the suspension of an old Mopar to modern times.
My Dart feels much more 'mature' in the wat it handles everyday corners, roundabouts and speedbumps.
 
i just ordered a set of these 1.03's along w/those tricked out adjustable strut rods and some other goodies..
I've been seeing PST ads in my Mopar magazines for years now.. Finally have the old mopar I've always wanted & I'm very excited to give these products a go.
Good times :)
 
i just ordered a set of these 1.03's along w/those tricked out adjustable strut rods and some other goodies..
I've been seeing PST ads in my Mopar magazines for years now.. Finally have the old mopar I've always wanted & I'm very excited to give these products a go.
Good times :)

That's what I have an I like them. Now I just need to replace my steeing, rear leaf stprings and upgrade my wheels/tires to really get the full benefit out of the suspension.

One thing you'll notice is that after you upgrade your suspension, you might also need to upgrade your seats. It handles so much better, you'll tend to push it in the turns and slide right out of your seat. LOL

I also suggest the Hellwig tubular sway bar. That was my first upgrade and it was a huge difference even on stock suspension at the time. My suspension is no longer stock now....well except for the rear springs. I'm waiting for Santa on those.
 
That's what I have an I like them. Now I just need to replace my steeing, rear leaf stprings and upgrade my wheels/tires to really get the full benefit out of the suspension.

One thing you'll notice is that after you upgrade your suspension, you might also need to upgrade your seats. It handles so much better, you'll tend to push it in the turns and slide right out of your seat. LOL

I also suggest the Hellwig tubular sway bar. That was my first upgrade and it was a huge difference even on stock suspension at the time. My suspension is no longer stock now....well except for the rear springs. I'm waiting for Santa on those.
 
My wagon's front end is completely torn apart and the plan is to order those 1.03 PST bars. I already have the Helwig tubular sway bar, rebuilt large ball joint UCAs, rebuilt LCAs, 11/16th tie rods, Steer and Gear Stage III PS box and brand new idler and pitman arms. Still have to order new rear springs to compliment the 76 A Body cop car rear sway bar. I think the wagon ought to handle pretty decent!
 
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My wagon's front end is completely torn apart and the plan is to order those 1.03 PST bars. I already have the Helwig tubular sway bar, rebuilt large ball joint UCAs, rebuilt LCAs, 11/16th tie rods, Steer and Gear Stage III PS box and brand new idler and pitman arms. Still have to order new rear springs to compliment the 76 A Body cop car rear sway bar. I think the wagon out to handle pretty decent!
sway bars and front shocks is all I need now..I'm gonna wait till I get the demon back together and a running 440 installed before I order them..
I was looking at other name brands but when I see PST customer service,I am sold.. its going to be some time before the car is on the road,but at lease I have these parts crossed off my wish list
 
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